Monday, November 9, 2009

Jamorama Review

JamoramaJamorama comes with 2 different courses, a beginner course and an intermediate course. If you're completely new to the guitar, the beginner course takes you step by step through the very basics and progressively moves you forward into the intermediate course. There are 15 lessons in the beginner course which will teach you how to play the majority of the chords along with different timestamps and rhythms. If you already know how to do this, then you could start with the intermediate course. This course has 26 lessons and by the very end you'll be able to play any progressions easily. You'll also learn how to read tabs so you can play any song you see on the internet. Both courses come with audio and video, so you can see real demonstrations to compare your own playing with. By the end of the course you will be able to play songs by your favorite artists. 

Overall Evaluation
This is an excellent program for anyone to use. The content provides you with everything you need to play guitar with diagrams and picture demonstrations. The flow of the material seems smooth from one lesson to the next. The audio and video are professional quality. The video is cut into two halves, a left side and right side. The left side show the fretboard and right hand playing the guitar, while the right side shows the left hand playing. The bonuses are perfect for beginners, especially if you don't own a metronome or guitar tuner. Anyone using this program will learn everything necessary without having to go out and buy additional products are equipment.

What's in the Box?
Jamorama Book 1! Beginners 96 page Ebook 15 lessons
Jamorama Book 2! Intermediate 151 page Ebook 26 lessons
148 Video demonstrations
26 Audio Jam tracks

Bonuses
Jayde Musica Pro - Software that shows you how to read music easily
GuitEarIt! Ear - Training game shows you how to develop your sense of pitch and tone
Guitar Tuner Pro - Guitar tuner software plus a how-to ebook for tuning
Jamorama Metronome - Software metronome to help with your timing
30 day access to Song PondVideo - Lessons taught by professional music instructors to guide you to play songs from a big range of artists including: The Eagles, Johnny Cash, Led Zeppelin, Jack Johnson, Pink Floyd, Metallica, AC/DC, Oasis, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and many more.

How Long Does it Take to Set up and get started?
TestimonialSince this is all done electronically on the computer, you can have your Jamorama guitar lesson in front of you in just the time it takes to download the package. So you can realistically be starting on lesson 1 in under an hour. The software comes with integrated audio and video, so you can easily read a lesson and follow along with the video tutorial.

Pros                                                                       
Very easy to set up and get started                          
Lots of material and easy to follow lessons                
Reputable company, lots of support
Everything you need in one convenient package

Cons
Video could have more options, like a slowed down version
Jamtracks have guitar audio mixed with drums

Closing Thoughts
Overall I'm very impressed with the Jamorama program because it is geared towards beginners and intermediate players. Even someone with guitar experience can go through the beginner course and learn something to make them a better player. The content of the ebooks is very well thought out and flows in a natural style. The video may be a bit lacking, but the easy to follow lessons make up for it. In summary, this is a great all-in-one course for the beginner or for someone looking to increase their guitar playing skills. To get a free lesson or for more details, visit the official Jamorama website.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

How to Learn How to Play the Guitar

Alright so you're tired of wishing you could play the guitar and you're ready to step up and actually begin playing. You've come to the right place. My guitar was sitting in the living room on its stand for 6 months collecting all kinds of dust and weird stuff before I started learning how to play it. The problem wasn't that I didn't want to play, I did. The problem was I really didn't know how and I didn't know where to start. I've got quick 4 steps to get you on your way to becoming the player you always wanted to be.

1. Get a Guitar
If you don't already have one, you'll need to buy a guitar. If your wallet is tight, there are plenty of cost effective ways.
Check your nearest good will or thrift store. Check a pawn shop, there are a lot of decent guitars to be found here for a fair
price. There's always ebay or craigslist, or if you're in a hurry, just go to the local music store. If you have the money, get a Fender or Starcast. If you're just learning, you can buy a brand new guitar for under $100.

2. So you've got your guitar, now what?
You want to make sure you have all the necessary equipment to ensure you're making the best use of your practice time. You will
need to have plenty of picks, replacement strings in case you break them, and you'll probably want to invest in a guitar tuner as well. If you're serious on how to learn how to play the guitar, you'll make it a priority to get all the necessary supplies
before you begin playing.

3. Okay, let's play!!
The very first thing you need to do is make sure the guitar is properly tuned. Follow the instructions on the tuner until you
have the right tune for E,A,D,G,B,E. Next you should practice strumming until you're comfortable with the movement. After that
use a pick and pluck each string until you can do it without hitting more than just one string. Then you can try it again while
holding down each individual string. This is a good start and it will all seem very repetitive, but learning the basics is key on how to learn how to play the guitar really good.

4. Practice, Practice, Practice!
I can't say this enough, the only way to learn how to play guitar is to keep playing your guitar. It is best to set aside a certain amount of time where you do nothing but play the guitar. If you're a really busy person and only get the chance to play here and there, play as much as you can. It's a lot easier to practice one skill set at a time, so if you sit down to play its important that you finish the set before moving on or doing something else.

These are just the very basic fundamentals though. If you've done everything above you're off to a great start, although it can be very overwhelming at times. I admit I was frustrated when I couldn't hit a certain chord or couldn't switch fast enough between chords. I tried to teach myself from guitar books and I wasn't learning fast enough for my own satisfaction, so I got a little help. If you want to speed up your learning curve like I did, try Jamorama. It has the best lessons for beginners and it's really easy to follow along. Be sure to get the free lesson in the upper right corner. Good luck!

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